Information About Sam - Highgate teacher

Personal Description:

I am a classically trained piano soloist, musical director, repetiteur and registered music teacher (IRMTNZ). I studied at the New Zealand School of Music and The University of Auckland, gaining a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Classical Piano Performance, and have been actively performing and teaching piano since 2009. I am passionate about music and teaching, and I teach pianists of all levels, from child and adult beginners right up to professional musicians.

I have also maintained a busy career across New Zealand working as a repetiteur, musical director and pianist in the fields of musical theatre and opera in some of the most important theatres in the country including The Civic Theatre, The Theatre Royal, Auckland Town Hall, The St James Theatre and The Bruce Mason Theatre. Some of these productions include Nixon in China (John Adams), The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber), Miss Saigon (Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil), Anything Goes (Cole Porter), Evita (Andrew Lloyd Webber), Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (Allan Scott and Stephan Elliot) and The Last Five Years (Jason Robert Brown).

Many of my students have had great success with their ABRSM and Trinity College London examinations, while others have preferred to pursue their own personal musical journey, without the pressure of examinations.

Tutoring Experience:

Throughout my performing career I have maintained a teaching studio of regular piano students across all ages and abilities. I have also worked at the tertiary level, as musical director, accompanist and vocal coach at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art in Christchurch, and at the Opera Factory in Auckland.

Tutoring Approach:

My lessons are tailored to the needs of each individual student, focusing on their personal musical interests whilst still covering all the groundwork for good musical understanding with a secure technical foundation.